Andalucia and Children’s View on Water: New Video Launch

More than 100 students from Malaga participated in the international IUCN Multimedia Water project, thanks to the Consejería de Medio Ambiente y Agencia Andaluza del Agua de la Junta de Andalucía.

Photo: IUCN / Chadi Abi Faraj

Bringing together schoolchildren and government officials, the Mediterranean IUCN office convened this unique event consisting of presentations by Cecilia Gañán de Molina from Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Ignacio Trillo, delegate for the environment in Malaga, Juan Antonio Jaime Martín, Aula del Mar and Margarita Astrálaga, IUCN-Med Director. Further question and answer time was preceded by the screening of the new short film “Cuentos del Agua” in which many of the school children featured and could recognize their friends. Students were filmed around Malaga’s marine estuaries and river basins, in particular the Guadalhorce river, learning and sharing ideas on water conservation, healthy rivers, preventing water pollution amongst many other topics.

“No one better than our children can explain more clearly and rightly the importance of taking good care of our rivers” said Cecilia Gañán de Molina, from the Consejería de Medio Ambiente de la Junta de Andalucía. Following the film screening, the floor was opened to the children to ask direct questions relating to water management, payment for watershed services and environmental protection. The new incoming director of the IUCN Mediterranean office Margarita Astrálaga noted that “IUCN has been working hard for many decades to guarantee that present and future generations will have the water they need for their survival, but it has reached a point where without the active support of every child and adult around the world, it will not be able to do it. We need everybody to get involved and feel responsible for water conservation!” The event was concluded with the prospect to distribute the footage and photos from Tales of Water more broadly within Spain, promote the exchange of experiences also amongst schools. It is planned to be also presented during the upcoming events of the Zaragoza Water Expo and Barcelona World Conservation Congress in 2008.